Balochistan govt warns BNP-M to limit march to Quetta’s Sariab Road or face legal action

Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind on Saturday offered the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) to march till Quetta’s Shahwani Stadium on Sariab Road and warned the party of action if the city’s Red Zone is breached.

The BNP-M had announced a “long march” from Wadh to Quetta last Friday to protest against the arrests of Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leaders and activists, including Dr Mahrang Baloch and Sammi Deen Baloch, as well as the police crackdown on their sit-in in Quetta. Sammi was released on Tuesday.

The BNP-M sit-in has entered its ninth day today. On Thursday in Mastung, party chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal announced three demands during its protest against the recent arrests of rights activists. Mengal stated the demands: “Either release all prisoners of the BYC, including women, or then let us march on to Quetta, where we can hold a peaceful sit-in there. Or then arrest us.

Rind, while addressing a press conference in Quetta, said: “The provincial government held a dialogue and proposed that BNP-M will be allowed till Shawani Stadium [on] Sariab Road, but they did not agree and wanted to hold the demonstration in the Red Zone. However, the government will not accept that.”

He added that peaceful protest is a right, but the specifics of where and for how long the protest will be held are for the district administration to determine.

“They have announced bringing the march to Quetta, and they should know that Section 144 has already been declared, and if it will be violated, then the law will take its course,” Rind continued.

While answering a question regarding how the government would enforce its decision, he responded: “No permission will be given to hold the Red Zone and government functionaries hostage.”

He also claimed that the platform of a registered political party was used for anti-state speeches in reference to the BNP-M, adding that appropriate legal action has been initiated.

“On the remarks made against the Balochistan government by [Akhtar] Mengal yesterday, the government reserves the right and capacity to respond but Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti had directed from day one that no such remarks should be made that would derail this political process, and hence this is not the moment to respond,” Rind said.

On the topic of negotiations with the BNP-M, he added that two rounds of negotiations have taken place with the party, and apart from them, the Balochistan CM has talked to Dr Abdul Malik Baloch, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl and the Balochistan Awami Party and developed a political consensus.

“[Akhtar] Mengal claimed that the negotiation committee was without authority, so they were given authority, and they [BNP] had three demands that were the release of Mahrang and BYC leadership and our stance was clear that if courts provide relief, the government would not object,” Rind stated.

On Thursday, Mengal said the government’s delegation had asked for more time for consultation after the second round of talks. “The deadlock persists despite two more days being sought for consultation, which ends tonight.”

He added: “If all prisoners, including women, are not released, we will march towards Quetta.”

BNP-M central leader and former senator Sanaullah Baloch had told Dawn.com that all national highways were closed due to government incompetence.

“The BNP has held its sit-in on one side of the Mastung National Highway. However, the government has closed all major and minor highways leading to Quetta, including the Lakpass Tunnel, Mastung, and Kolpur.

Quetta’s land connection with 12 other districts in Balochistan has been cut off for the past nine days due to the closure of highways, including the Quetta-Karachi National Highway, as the administration has dug ditches on Lakpass and the surrounding highways.